Goodman School of Business MBA students are gearing up for competition season, with help needed from the Brock community to reach the top of the podium in January.

The team will be joining other MBA students from across Canada at McMaster University in Hamilton to compete in the 2020 MBA Games from Friday, Jan. 3 to Sunday, Jan. 5. The team representing Goodman has been practicing around the clock in hopes of bringing the top title back to Brock.

With this year’s competition theme being business with a purpose, competitors are raising money for Empowerment Squared, a charity that works with newcomer and marginalized youth communities to effect sustainable change through education, social development and lifelong learning opportunities. They aim to empower less privileged communities through academic mentoring for youth and young adults, information literacy, leadership development and supervised access to sports and recreation opportunities.

“At Goodman, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential,” says Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes. “The MBA Games is an engaging and educational way for our graduate students and faculty to support a worthy cause in support of providing resources for a sustainable change.”

On Nov. 9, Goodman’s team raised $1,710 by hosting a comedy night at Showtime Comedy and Entertainment, putting them in first place of the fundraising component so far. Anyone interested in contributing to their overall fundraising goal of $4,100 can do so by visiting the Goodman team’s website.

Jason Barfoot, International Recruitment and Admissions Officer who is also Goodman’s volunteer team coordinator, has been helping prepare the team for the upcoming challenges in the competitions.

The athletics component includes basketball, volleyball, dodgeball and an NHL video game to fulfill the e-sports aspect, with the case competition exploring topics of marketing, strategy, finance and a wildcard. The spirit component requires all teams to create a dance, team video and charity partner event, as well as participating in a mystery event and fundraising for Empowerment Squared.

First year MBA student and team captain Yuchen (Johnson) Yen says he’s very impressed with the progress his case competition teams are making.

“Their practice presentations really wow me, but there’s always room for improvement,” he says.

Co-captain Mark Rasario is practicing with his dodgeball team a minimum of three days a week, nothing that he’s happy with the growth his team is experiencing. Yen and Rasario are also confident in their team’s ability to improve their performance from last year and are excited to see what challenges the games will bring.

John Molson case competition

As January marks the start of competition season, Goodman students are also gearing up for the John Molson MBA International Case Competition.

From Monday, Jan. 6 to Friday, Jan. 10, four MBA students from Goodman will head to Montréal, Québec to compete for the international title. The John Molson case competition is the largest of its kind, welcoming only the top business schools worldwide. It aims to bridge the gap between corporate and academic worlds, enriching the lives of students and executives.

MBA students Unnati Makawana, Puneet Rastogi, Piash Kumar Saha and Anna Cherdakova are practicing any free moment they get. Coaches Eric Dolansky, Associate Professor of Marketing, and Norman Chasse, Accounting Lecturer, have been preparing their team for the intensive case competition.